Plan targets behavioral health, access to care, and social determinants of health in six focus counties following extensive community input
AT A GLANCE
- University of Utah Health has released its 2026–2029 Community Health Improvement Strategy, a three-year road map developed from thousands of community voices across 27 Utah counties.
- The plan is built around three core priorities: broadening health care access, addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), and improving behavioral health.
- Nine concrete goals span plain-language patient forms, primary care connection, Medicaid/financial assistance navigation, SDOH screening and referrals, a community resource database, a Community Health Worker program, behavioral health resource mapping, and a multilingual “Know Where to Go” behavioral health toolkit.
- The strategy was co-developed with local health districts, internal clinical and research teams, community webinars, and surveys, incorporating input from nearly 40 existing U of U Health initiatives.
- Progress will be tracked transparently with specific metrics and reported publicly throughout the three-year cycle.
- Community members, partner organizations, and health care providers are invited to engage—email uofuchna@utah.edu.
University of Utah Health has released its 2026–2029 Community Health Improvement Strategy, a comprehensive three-year road map designed to translate community-identified health priorities into measurable action across Utah. The plan follows the December 2025 publication of the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), which gathered input from thousands of residents across 27 counties and 27 community meetings.
“At University of Utah Health, we believe our responsibility extends beyond the patients we see in our clinics and hospitals,” said Bob Carter, MD, PhD, executive vice president for health sciences and CEO of University of Utah Health. “This strategy reflects our commitment to working alongside communities to address the challenges that have the greatest impact on health and well-being. By expanding access to care, strengthening behavioral health resources, and addressing the conditions that shape health, we have an opportunity to improve lives in meaningful ways across our state. This is important work, and it will take all of us working together to make a lasting difference.”
The strategy now moves from listening to building: outlining specific goals, actions, success metrics, and desired outcomes to address the priorities communities identified as most urgent.
Built With the Community, For the Community
To develop the implementation strategy, U of U Health surveyed faculty, staff, researchers, clinicians, and educators to catalog nearly 40 initiatives already aligned with the CHNA’s three priority areas. The team also met with public health departments in six focus counties, shared draft goals with leaders across nine internal committees, and held community webinars. Community members most consistently identified vaccine outreach, Community Health Worker programs, and a behavioral health navigation toolkit as top priorities.
The strategy is organized around the same three priorities that communities identified in the CHNA:
Broaden Health Care Access
- Standardize patient forms to meet plain language, health literacy, and ADA accessibility standards.
- Partner with FQHCs, community organizations, and health plans to help more Utahns establish primary care relationships.
- Review financial assistance policies and assist individuals affected by Medicaid changes, including new work requirements.
- Apply population health data at the clinic level to close care gaps and achieve value-based outcomes.
Address Social Determinants of Health
- Enhance and standardize screening for social needs—including food, housing, and transportation—and create a uniform referral process.
- Build a system-wide community resource database to enable consistent, trackable referrals across all U of U Health teams.
- Launch a Community Health Worker program to connect historically underserved patients with medical care and community resources.
Improve Behavioral Health
- Systematically map behavioral health resources across the region and implement recommendations to minimize service gaps and overlaps.
- Create and distribute a plain-language, multilingual “Know Where to Go” toolkit with local health district partners to help patients navigate behavioral health services.
“The priorities in this strategy didn't come from us; they came from thousands of Utahns who shared what their communities need most,” says RyLee Curtis, MPP, senior director of community collaborations, University of Utah Health. “When we honor their trust—through Community Health Workers reaching underserved neighbors, through a toolkit that helps a family finally find the right behavioral health support, through a clinic form that is easy to understand—that is what societal impact looks like in practice.”
Measuring What Matters
Each of the nine goals includes specific actions, success metrics, and desired outcomes. U of U Health will report on progress transparently throughout the three-year cycle, acknowledging what isn’t working and adjusting strategies accordingly.
A Shared Commitment
Over the next three years, U of U Health will hold regular coordination meetings with local health district leaders and U of U Health Hospitals & Clinics. The initiative reflects the Impact Partnership Model, inspired by the longstanding work of University Neighborhood Partners, which brings together community voices, university collaborators, and organizational partners in shared learning spaces where expertise and lived experience intersect.
Community members, partner organizations, and health care providers are invited to get involved. To learn more, submit comments, or partner on this work, email uofuchna@utah.edu.